Article
Ecology
Melissa A. Burt, Julian Resasco, Nick M. Haddad, Susan R. Whitehead
Summary: Habitat fragmentation can impact ecosystems through habitat loss, reduced connectivity, and edge effects. This study investigated the consequences of connectivity and edge effects on seed dispersal by ants. The results showed that ants dispersed seeds farther in habitat patches connected by corridors, particularly in patch centers. However, there was no effect on the total number of seeds moved or the rate at which ants detected seeds. The composition of ant communities also did not differ across patch types.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lin Wang, Guopeng Ren, Fangyuan Hua, Stephen S. Young, Wei Wang, Chunyan Yang, Jianguo Zhu
Summary: Numerous restoration programs have been launched worldwide in recent years, but their effectiveness for biodiversity conservation remains unclear. It is important to identify priority areas for restoration in regions with limited resources. Habitat availability, which combines habitat amounts with interpatch connectivity, plays a critical role in long-term biological population sheltering. The proposed multi-scale approach in this study focuses on enhancing habitat availability and setting restoration priorities for forest restoration.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ricard Arasa-Gisbert, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Carmen Galan-Acedo, Jorge A. Meave, Miguel Martinez-Ramos
Summary: The study reveals that landscape composition has a stronger effect on sapling diversity than landscape configuration. Old-growth forest specialist species tend to decrease in deforested landscapes with open matrices, while forest generalist species show the opposite response, especially in regions with high-to-intermediate disturbance levels. Forest fragmentation has weak or no effects on species diversity, particularly after controlling for forest cover effects.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dongdong Shao, Kang Liu, Hannah L. Mossman, Matthew P. Adams, Hongfang Wang, Dongxue Li, Yu Yan, Baoshan Cui
Summary: The study developed a metric and modelling framework to prioritize saltmarsh patches for restoration. By simulating restoration schedules using different strategies, it was found that the prioritization strategy based on graph-theoretic landscape connectivity and metapopulation capacity metrics outperformed others, leading to better connectivity restoration outcomes.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Fei Yu, Jiaxin Li, Linjun Zhang, Ganggang Zhang, Yueqin Yang, Yang Wang, Xianfeng Yi
Summary: The Grain-for-Green Program in China is effective for protecting the ecological environment and mitigating disasters. This study compared the effects of different types of vegetation restoration on the rodent abundance, seed dispersal, and seedling recruitment in a forest in the Taihang Mountains. The results showed that the Grain-for-Green forest had similar effects to the natural forest in terms of rodent composition and abundance, but had higher seed removal rate and dispersal distance compared to abandoned cropland, indicating its potential for providing seed dispersal service and contributing to vegetation restoration and biodiversity conservation.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
L. A. Pereira, V. E. W. Campos, C. C. Gestich, M. C. Ribeiro, L. Culot
Summary: This study evaluated the impacts of land-use intensification and defaunation on primate assemblages in the Atlantic Forest and investigated the ecological consequences on seed dispersal. The findings suggest that changes in patch size and inter-patch distance have effects on primate species richness and functional traits. Decreased patch size may lead to reduced diversity of seed dispersers, while less permeable landscapes retain an uneven distribution of seed disperser traits.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Fernando Cesar Goncalves Bonfim, Pavel Dodonov, Eliana Cazetta
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of landscape composition and configuration on taxonomic and functional diversity of frugivorous birds in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Results showed that landscape composition was more important than configuration in explaining diversity, highlighting the need to maintain high habitat amount for these birds.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Priscila Sanjuan de Medeiros-Sarmento, Leandro Valle Ferreira, Markus Gastauer
Summary: The study highlights the importance of soil seed bank in the natural regeneration of secondary forests, with herb seeds dominating the seed bank and tree seeds density and richness increasing over time. The composition of the seed bank changes with regeneration stages, emphasizing the significance of dispersal and habitat connectivity for forest regeneration.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vladimir R. R. Wingate, Felicia O. O. Akinyemi, Chima J. J. Iheaturu, Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
Summary: Global tropical deforestation rates are rising, particularly in arable landscapes of West Africa where remaining forest fragments are highly fragmented. This study aims to inventory and characterize these forest patches using remote sensing, finding that while larger patches may experience more loss on average, smaller secondary forest patches persist in the landscape. Larger forest patches also harbor denser tree cover and higher trees, indicating potential resilience to human pressures.
Article
Environmental Studies
Ziqi Bian, Lyuyi Liu, Shengyan Ding
Summary: This study evaluated the forest landscape restoration (FLR) status in the Yi River watershed based on remote sensing images during 2015-2020, exploring the importance of landscape connectivity for local flora and fauna. The results showed different distance threshold values for analyzing forest landscape connectivity (FLC) in hills and low mountains. The impact of reforested patches on improving FLC varied between hills and low mountains.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jorg Brunet, Per-Ola Hedwall, Jessica Lindgren, Sara A. O. Cousins
Summary: Research indicates that post-arable oak plantations have great potential for restoring forest herb vegetation. Plant traits related to dispersal play a key role in explaining interspecific differences among forest specialists. To facilitate forest herb immigration in agricultural landscapes, the creation of clusters of relatively small new forest patches near older forests with source populations is recommended.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
F. Andrew Jones, Adam S. Hadley, Kaitlin Bonner, Rakan A. Zahawi, W. Douglas Robinson, Urs Kormann, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: Forest conversion and habitat loss pose major threats to biodiversity. A study found that in secondary forests, inbreeding levels were three times higher than in primary forests, and the levels were amplified with reductions in the surrounding primary forest. The study also revealed a negative correlation between inbreeding in forest patches and the local frequency of specialist traplining hummingbirds.
Article
Biology
Thomas J. P. Travers, Jamie Alison, Sarah D. Taylor, Humphrey Q. P. Crick, Jenny A. Hodgson
Summary: This study uses the Condatis methodology to model species' range expansion and emphasizes the importance of considering connectivity when designating protected areas. The results show that high-flow important habitat patches are often excluded from existing protected areas, leading to a gap between area protection and connectivity protection.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Pablo Y. Huais, Gabriel Grilli, Leonardo Galetto
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of forest connectivity loss on pollen dispersal in the self-incompatible plant Nierembergia linariifolia. The results showed that connected plants had a higher deposition rate per plant compared to unconnected plants, and the deposition rate decreased exponentially with increasing distance from a source population. The study also highlighted the essential role of native pollinators in maintaining pollen flow among unconnected plant populations in fragmented landscapes.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Irena A. Koelemeijer, Ayco J. M. Tack, Beyene Zewdie, Sileshi Nemomissa, Kristoffer Hylander
Summary: This study identified drivers behind woody plant regeneration in coffee agroforestry, showing that local management intensity negatively impacted species richness, diversity, density, and height, while sites adjacent to continuous forests had higher species richness and diversity. Transfer limitation was detrimental for the regeneration of late successional species in agroforestry systems with reduced woody plant diversity.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Krizler C. TANALGO, Kim MCCONKEY, Paul RACEY, Sheema Abdul AZIZ, Tuanjit SRITONGCHUAY, Alice C. HUGHES, Tammy MILDENSTEIN
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Sreehari Raman, Thekke Thumbath Shameer, Ushakumari Pooja, Alice C. Hughes
Summary: Understanding patterns of species distribution and diversity is important for biodiversity conservation. This study conducted a comprehensive bat survey in the Western Ghats region of peninsular India and used maximum entropy modeling to predict the potential distribution of bat species. The study also assessed the level of protection for these bat species across protected area networks in the region.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nasir Uddin, Sam Enoch, Abishek Harihar, Rob S. A. Pickles, Tasnim Ara, Alice C. Hughes
Summary: Illegal wildlife trade is a major cause of decline in high-value species. This study examines a case of perpetrator replacement following an intervention, providing lessons for conservation strategies. The successful counter-pirate campaign inadvertently removed the dominant tiger poaching type, resulting in the emergence of specialist tiger-poaching teams.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alice C. Hughes, Kevin Tougeron, Dominic A. Martin, Filippo Menga, Bruno H. P. Rosado, Sebastian Villasante, Shweta Madgulkar, Fernando Goncalves, Davide Geneletti, Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas, Sebastian Berger, Sheila R. Colla, Vitor de Andrade Kamimura, Holly Caggiano, Felipe Melo, Marcelo Guilherme de Oliveira Dias, Elke Kellner, Edivando Vitor do Couto
Summary: The blame on human population as the main cause of biodiversity loss is not true. The growth of commodities for export, particularly soybean and oil-palm, primarily for livestock feed or biofuel consumption in higher income economies, is the actual driver of habitat loss. Instead of population, reducing unsustainable consumption, tracking supply chains, technological innovation, and ensuring sustainable production are the key measures for biodiversity conservation.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhengfei Guo, Christopher J. Still, Calvin K. F. Lee, Youngryel Ryu, Benjamin Blonder, Jing Wang, Timothy C. Bonebrake, Alice Hughes, Yan Li, Henry C. H. Yeung, Kun Zhang, Ying Ki Law, Ziyu Lin, Jin Wu
Summary: This study investigates the thermoregulation ability of plant ecosystems in the global extratropics and finds that most ecosystems do have some degree of thermoregulation, contrary to the limited homeothermy hypothesis. The results also show that the difference between canopy temperature and air temperature is more sensitive in detecting thermoregulatory differences across biomes than the regression slope.
Letter
Ecology
Sander Chan, Steffen Bauer, Michele M. Betsill, Frank Biermann, Idil Boran, Peter Bridgewater, Harriet Bulkeley, Mercedes M. C. Bustamente, Alexandra Deprez, Felix Dodds, Michael Hoffmann, Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Alice Hughes, Pablo Imbach, Maria Ivanova, Alexandre Koberle, Marcel T. J. Kok, Shuaib Lwasa, Tiffany Morrison, Hans-O. Portner, Agus P. Sari, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Derek Vollmer, Oscar Widerberg, Nathalie Pettorelli
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Paige R. Chesshire, Erica E. Fischer, Nicolas J. Dowdy, Terry L. Griswold, Alice C. Hughes, Michael C. Orr, John S. Ascher, Laura M. Guzman, Keng-Lou James Hung, Neil S. Cobb, Lindsie M. McCabe
Summary: Native bee populations in the US are declining, prompting the need for a national monitoring program. This study analyzed bee specimen records to create range maps and assess inventory completeness. The findings reveal significant deficiencies in taxonomic and geographic data, highlighting the importance of accelerated digitization campaigns and integrating community science data for a more comprehensive understanding of bee distributions in the US.
Article
Ecology
Zhengbing Yan, Jordi Sardans, Josep Penuelas, Matteo Detto, Nicholas G. Smith, Han Wang, Lulu Guo, Alice C. Hughes, Zhengfei Guo, Calvin K. F. Lee, Lingli Liu, Jin Wu
Summary: This study aims to understand the variability and drivers of global leaf photosynthetic capacity. The results show that both current environmental factors and evolutionary history play important roles in shaping this variability.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Alice Hughes, Mark Auliya, Sandra Altherr, Brett Scheffers, Jordi Janssen, Vincent Nijman, Chris R. Shepherd, Neil D'Cruze, Emerson Sy, David P. Edwards
Summary: According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, exploitation of wildlife poses a significant threat to species survival. While illegal trade's detrimental effects are well-known, legal trade is often considered sustainable despite lacking evidence. This article reviews the sustainability of wildlife trade, the tools and frameworks to regulate it, and highlights the lack of data that hinders understanding of sustainability. The authors propose a more precautionary approach, strengthening data collection, linking trade quotas to international standards, improving databases, and enhancing understanding of trade bans and market forces.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guo-Qing Wang, Rosa A. Scherson, Diego Vera, Yun-Hao Bai, Jun Wen, Lin-Yuan Guo, Alice C. Hughes, Hua-Feng Wang
Summary: This study investigates the spatial patterns and drivers of plant diversity in Hainan Island using molecular phylogeny and species records. The results demonstrate that central Hainan is the most significant hotspot for plant diversity, with environmental energy playing a crucial role in determining the diversity patterns.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jianpeng Cui, Meihui Zhu, Linyuan Guo, Haili Zhang, Alice C. Hughes, Huafeng Wang
Summary: Green space in urban areas is crucial for maintaining and improving human well-being. This study examines the patterns of plant diversity in urban green spaces in the tropical coastal region of China, based on samples from 826 functional units in five cities. The results show that plant diversity varies significantly among different land-use types, with high-rise housing, parks, and universities exhibiting higher diversity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Thant Sin Aung, Alice C. Hughes, Phyo Kay Khine, Bo Liu, Xiao-Li Shen, Ke-Ping Ma
Summary: Myanmar is rich in biodiversity due to its diverse climate and environment, but the knowledge of its plant diversity is lacking, leading to a lack of comprehensive conservation plans. Researchers have developed a database of higher plants in Myanmar and analyzed diversity inventories and collection inconsistencies, providing a baseline floristic data and guiding future research efforts. More botanical surveys and cooperation among countries are needed to better understand Myanmar's floristic diversity.
Article
Mycology
X. F. Liu, S. Tibpromma, A. C. Hughes, K. W. T. Chethana, N. N. Wijayawardene, D. Q. Dai, T. Y. Du, A. M. Elgorban, S. L. Stephenson, N. Suwannarach, J. C. Xu, L. Lu, R. F. Xu, S. S. N. Maharachchikumbura, C. L. Zhao, D. J. Bhat, Y. M. Sun, S. C. Karunarathna, P. E. Mortimer
Summary: Bats are the second largest group of mammals, with over 1400 species found across six continents. They have unique characteristics such as long lifespan and ability to tolerate viruses without symptoms, making them important in terms of disease risk. The warm, humid habitats where bats live also provide favorable conditions for fungi growth.
Correction
Ecology
Andrew Gonzalez, Petteri Vihervaara, Patricia Balvanera, Amanda E. Bates, Elisa Bayraktarov, Peter J. Bellingham, Andreas Bruder, Jillian Campbell, Michael D. Catchen, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Jonathan Chase, Nicholas Coops, Mark J. Costello, Balint Czucz, Aurelie Delavaud, Maria Dornelas, Gregoire Dubois, Emmett J. Duffy, Hilde Eggermont, Miguel Fernandez, Nestor Fernandez, Simon Ferrier, Gary N. Geller, Michael Gill, Dominique Gravel, Carlos A. Guerra, Robert Guralnick, Michael Harfoot, Tim Hirsch, Sean Hoban, Alice C. Hughes, Wim Hugo, Margaret E. Hunter, Forest Isbell, Walter Jetz, Norbert Juergens, W. Daniel Kissling, Cornelia B. Krug, Peter Kullberg, Yvan Le Bras, Brian Leung, Maria Cecilia Londono-Murcia, Jean-Michel Lord, Michel Loreau, Amy Luers, Keping Ma, Anna J. MacDonald, Joachim Maes, Melodie McGeoch, Jean Baptiste Mihoub, Katie L. Millette, Zsolt Molnar, Enrique Montes, Akira S. Mori, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Hiroyuki Muraoka, Masahiro Nakaoka, Laetitia Navarro, Tim Newbold, Aidin Niamir, David Obura, Mary O'Connor, Marc Paganini, Dominique Pelletier, Henrique Pereira, Timothee Poisot, Laura J. Pollock, Andy Purvis, Adriana Radulovici, Duccio Rocchini, Claudia Roeoesli, Michael Schaepman, Gabriela Schaepman-Strub, Dirk S. Schmeller, Ute Schmiedel, Fabian D. Schneider, Mangal Man Shakya, Andrew Skidmore, Andrew L. Skowno, Yayioi Takeuchi, Mao-Ning Tuanmu, Eren Turak, Woody Turner, Mark C. Urban, Nicolas Urbina-Cardona, Ruben Valbuena, Anton Van de Putte, Basile van Havre, Vladimir Ruslan Wingate, Elaine Wright, Carlos Zambrana Torrelio
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jie Zhang, Jin Wu, Alice Catherine Hughes, Jed O. Kaplan, Eduardo Eiji Maeda
Summary: The conversion of forests into soybean plantations in the Brazilian Amazon has significant climate feedback effects, including increased average temperature in the atmospheric boundary layer and reduced rainfall. These effects are more pronounced compared to the conversion to pastures.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)